Assignment packages

Create and send packages (InDesign)

Under ideal circumstances, all InDesign
and InCopy users on the team have access to a server where assignment
files are stored. However, if one or more users don’t have access
to a common server, you can create and distribute compressed assignment
packages. After working on the assignment, the InCopy user repackages
the assignment and returns it to be integrated into the InDesign
document. Package files created in InDesign include the .icap extension.
The return package files created in InCopy include the .idap extension.

There
are two commands for packaging files: Package For InCopy and Package
And Email. Use Package For InCopy to create a compressed package
that you can distribute manually; use Package And Email to create
a compressed package that is attached automatically to an e-mail
message.

Note:

Do not confuse an assignment package with the
File > Package command in InDesign that lets you bundle and send
a document and its assets to a printer.

Create a package for manual distribution

Create an assignment and add the content
you want to include in the package.

Only content that is checked in can be included in the
packaged assignment. If any content is checked out, you’re prompted
to check in content.

In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package
For InCopy from the panel menu.

Specify a name and location for the package file, and
click Save.

You can attach the package file to an e-mail message,
upload it to an FTP server, or copy it to a disk or other external
media.

Note:

Choosing Edit > Undo after you create
a package cancels the package and unlocks the items in the assignment,
but it doesn’t delete the package file from your computer or unsend
the e-mail.

Create a package for e-mail (InDesign)

Create an assignment and add the content
you want to include in the package.

Only content that is checked in is included in the packaged assignment.
If any content is checked out, you’re prompted to check in content.

In the Assignments panel, select the assignment and choose Package
For InCopy And Email from the panel menu.

A compressed assignment package is created and attached
to an e-mail message of your default e-mail application.

Note:

If
you want to use a different e-mail application, change the default
e-mail application. See your system documentation for details.

Edit the e-mail message by adding a recipient and providing any
instructions. Send the message.

All items in the assignment are checked out to the assigned
user. However, the contents of the package itself aren’t locked,
so anyone can open the package and edit them.

Cancel a package

In
some cases, the package you send isn’t returned. For example, the
message may have gotten lost, or the recipient may no longer work
on the project. In such a situation, you can cancel a package.

In the Assignments panel, select the packaged assignment,
and choose Cancel Package from the panel menu.

When a package is cancelled, the package’s
contents are available for editing. Be aware that if someone returns
a package that has been cancelled, conflicts may occur.

Update a package

After
you create a package, you may want to add, remove, or resize items.

Add, remove, or resize one or more stories to
the packaged assignment.

Select the assignment in the Assignments panel, and do
one of the following:

Choose Update Package from the Assignments
panel menu. Specify the name and location of the file. Make the updated
package available to users by placing it on a shared server or by
e-mail. Remember to notify InCopy users that the package has been updated.

Choose Update Package And Email from the Assignments
panel menu, and then send the message.

When InCopy users open the updated package, only new
content is added automatically to the assignment; InCopy users can
decide whether to overwrite existing content, allowing them to preserve
previous edits.

Receive packages (InCopy)

You
may receive a package from an InDesign user who created the package
or from an InCopy user who forwarded the package to you. When you
open an assignment package, the package is decompressed, and the
contents are copied to a new subfolder in an InCopy Assignments
folder.

Open a package (InCopy)

To open an InCopy package (*.icap or *.incp),
do any of the following:

Launch the package using the e-mail application.
For example, double-click the attachment file.

Use Explorer or Finder to open the file. For example, double-click
the file or drag it to the InCopy application icon.

In InCopy, choose Open Package from the Assignments panel
menu, and then double-click the package file.

You can now edit the stories in the package. When you
begin editing a story, you’re prompted to check out the contents
of the frame. When you’ve finished editing, save all content and
return or forward the package.

Return or forward a package (InCopy)

After you open and edit a package, you can
send it to another InCopy user or you can return it to the InDesign
user who created the package. Package files created for other InCopy
users include the .icap extension; return package files created
for InDesign users include the .idap extension.

Edit and check in the content you want to include
in the package.

From the Assignments panel menu, choose one of the following:

Forward For InCopy

Create a package for another InCopy user. Specify the name
and location of the package file, and then make it available to
the InCopy user.

Forward For InCopy And Email

Create and send a package for another InCopy user via e-mail.
The package appears as an attachment in a new message in your default
e-mail application. Specify the recipient, provide instructions,
and send the e-mail message.

Return For InDesign

Create a package to return to the InDesign user.

Return For InDesign And Email

Create and return a package to the InDesign user by e-mail.
The package appears as an attachment in a new message in your default
e-mail application. Specify the recipient, provide instructions,
and send the e-mail message.

Receive return packages (InDesign)

To open an InDesign package (*.idap or *.indp),
do any of the following:

Launch the package using the e-mail application.
For example, double-click the attachment file.

Use Explorer or Finder to open the file. For example, double-click
the file or drag it to the InDesign application icon.

In InDesign, choose File > Open, and
double-click the package file.

In InDesign, choose Open Package from the Assignments panel
menu, and then double-click the package file.

You’re prompted to update all links when opening the
package. If a story has been modified since the assignment was packaged,
you can determine whether to update or unlink the content in the
InDesign file. When the stories in the files are returned and checked
in, you can check out and edit the content.